1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rear-entry ski boot having a rigid shell and an upper constituted by a front cuff and a rear spoiler, and to a system for fastening and adjusting such boots on the lower leg of the skier.
2. Discussion of Background Information
The aforementioned type of rear-entry ski boot generally comprises an upper whose front cuff, journalled on the shell base, has a rear extension on which the rear spoiler is mounted so as to be displaced with respect to the front cuff between a position for holding and/or pressing against the skier's lower leg, and a position in which the rear spoiler is opened for allowing the passage of the foot of the skier. Moreover, in its position of holding the lower leg, the rear spoiler likewise constitutes a support element for the lower leg in the antero-posterior direction.
The adjustment of such boots on the lower leg of the skier is obtained by moving together and holding the rear spoiler against the front cuff, either under the effect of a fastening device, acting between the cuff and the spoiler, or by means of a device for latching the spoiler and the cuff together.
It follows that the quality of rear support of the lower leg on the rear spoiler is dependent on the rigidity of the fastening or latching devices. On the other hand, these devices being located most often in the upper part of the upper, the rear support is likewise a function of the dimensional stability of the latter and of its area of abutment on the shell base.
French Pat. Nos. 2,540,359 and 2,575,045 and Austrian Pat. No. 385,637 describe ski boots of this type. French Pat. No. 2,540,359 discloses a boot whose upper, constituted by a front cuff and a rear spoiler, is latched in a closed position on the lower leg of the skier by an elastic device preventing any relative displacement of the rear spoiler and front cuff between them, whatever the pivoting movement of the upper with respect to its journal axis on the shell base. In such a boot construction, the adjustment of the upper on the skier's lower leg remains random, since it is as much dependent on the position of the device for latching the cuff and spoiler to one another as on the volume of the skier's leg. Further, if the retention of the rear spoiler on the front cuff is very rigid through the use of the latching device, the rear support of the leg with respect to the shell base remains uncertain because it is dependent upon the dimensional stability of the front cuff between its abutment area located on the instep and the latch.
In the case of the boot construction described in Austrian Pat. No. 385,637, the fastening of the upper is performed by pivoting the rear spoiler against the abutments supported by the front cuff and, as a result, the adjustment of the upper on the lower leg is not always achieved. In fact, these abutments limit the possible position where the rear spoiler comes together with the front cuff. Nevertheless, these abutments do not participate in the retention of the rear spoiler in the antero-posterior direction, which instead is ensured by a fastening device ensuring that the parts of the upper are maintained toward the lower leg. As mentioned above, such a construction does not provide a rigid rear support for the leg with respect to the shell base. Likewise, because of the absence of a latching device, the retention of the rear spoiler in the antero-posterior direction is essentially dependent upon the dimensional stability of the fastening device.
The boot described in French Pat. No. 2,575,045 has an upper structure in which the rear spoiler is brought together and held against the front cuff, without any particular limitation of its clearance, by means of a fastening device acting between the cuff and the spoiler. Such a structure makes it possible to adjust the gripping force of the upper on the lower leg. Nevertheless, because the cuff and the spoiler still remain free for relative movement between them in the posterior-antero direction, this structure is likely to cause undesirable friction on the lower leg during skiing. Moreover, if the support of the leg by the upper towards the rear is located in the area of the heel, the fact remains that the rigidity of this support remains dependent upon the dimensional stability of the fastening device.
As just described, the function of adjustment of the upper on the skier's lower leg and the function of rear support for the lower leg on the rear spoiler with respect to the shell base are poorly fulfilled. That is, either the adjustment is achieved and the rear support is uncertain, or the rear support is rigid and firm and the adjustment is poorly achieved.